Garden Talk: January 20, 2005

From NGA Editors

Best Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

Are you sometimes overwhelmed by the number of vegetable varieties available?
Wouldn't it be great if you could know, before you plant, which varieties will
perform best in your area?

Researchers at Cornell University have created an interactive database that does
just that. The Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners citizen science project allows
home gardeners to enter the name of the vegetable variety they have grown,
indicate their geographic location, rate its performance, and write a detailed
review. Presently there are more than 2000 vegetable varieties in the database
that you can browse through.

To participate in the Cornell University's Vegetable Variety database, go to
their Web site at: www.cce.cornell.edu/veg/

Fish Emulsion Stops Damping Off

If you've ever started seeds, you've undoubtedly experienced having seedlings
suddenly keel over at the soil line. This condition, called damping off, is
typically caused by two different fungi: Pythium and Rhizoctonia. Researchers
with Agri Food Canada have found that fish emulsion can be an effective
preventative.

Canadian researchers grew cucumber and radish seedlings in a peat-based, potting
soil mix. One group was treated with a 4 percent fish emulsion solution. Another
group received the equivalent dosage in inorganic fertilizer. Both groups were
inoculated with disease spores and left to incubate 1, 7, 14, and 28 days in
plastic bags. Cucumber and radish seeds were then sown in the bags for each
treatment. The bags that were incubated with fish emulsion for 7 days or longer
had a 70 to 80 percent protection rate from damping off disease. No disease
control was found in the bags treated with inorganic fertilizer.

This research suggests fish emulsion is not only a good plant food for young
seedlings because of its highly soluble form of nitrogen, but it also helps
create an environment that suppresses damping off disease.

Sweet Road Salt

?Tis the season for ice and snow in most parts of the country. As any
gardener knows, rock salt used on roadways is effective at deicing the pavement.
However, it also harms lawns and roadside plants. Now a new material that is a
by-product of alcohol distilling is being used in some communities in the
northeastern US as a safer alternative.

A Hungarian scientist at a vodka distillery first discovered Magic Salt. He
noticed the retention pond that collected the sugary leftover mash from the
distilling process never froze in winter.

Researchers processed the mash into a brown syrup that, when mixed with rock
salt, enhances its effectiveness, allowing road crews to use less salt. Magic
Salt helps rock salt adhere to the pavement and not bounce off the road. Magic
Salt also melts ice at lower temperatures than the traditional l8 degrees F. of
straight rock salt. Although rock salt with added Magic Salt is more expensive,
its producers claim less is needed to keep roads clear, and it is less harmful
to the environment.

Antique Roses for the South

Antique roses continue to be the rage across the United States. However,
most information on the best varieties to grow is geared towards gardeners
in cooler climates, such as England. Gardeners in the south often have to
learn by trial and error which varieties will thrive in their area.

Now a new book from William Welch, Antique Roses for South (Taylor
Publishing, 2004; $29.95), helps southern gardeners decide which antique
roses to buy. Welch combines his horticultural knowledge as a professor at
Texas A & M University with his lifelong passion for growing roses. His
book covers the history of antique roses, tips on growing them, and a
special section on rose crafts. The main lists more than 100 antique roses,
sorted by class, with sources for each. Welch includes lists for the rose
varieties that are easiest to propagate, most disease resistant, and most
fragrant.